Coffee Cantata - Bondi Junction's south end and Queen Street, Woollahra

COFFEE CANTATA

Coffee Cantata is all about giving bouquets (1 for bad to 5 for brilliant) to cafes that come up with a cup of coffee that's worth going back for. Forty years of globe trotting on at least one cup of coffee a day represents a minimum intake of 14,600 cups (horrors). A lifetime of perfect on the palate notes, enhanced by the settings and surrounds I have chosen to enjoy this endearing and enduring stimulant.

With a background in travel - over a ten year period I was Sales and Marketing Manager for three Corporate Travel Agencies, and a degree in Nutrition, I am well qualified to comment on where to find a good cup of coffee in your travels
I'm not a coffee purist, nor do I claim to be a beans and blends expert, but I do recognise a good cup of coffee when I taste one.
By choice I drink cafe espresso or long black in Europe, Soy Cappuccino (without chocolate on top) in Australia, and a 'normal' Cappuccino in the countries that aren't yet into Soy Milk - from recent experience, Croatia, Spain, and Singapore.
Not many of the 14,600 cups have registered on my required level of perfection scale, but some have come really close. In some places the cafes have been more enticing than the products they serve. To score both is a bonus. In Prague there are Cafes whose surrounds are so elegant that you would excuse an inferior blend. In Paris the passing parade counters some of the lesser and most expensive cups of coffee I've experienced
As my contribution to the pleasures of the palate I intend to run Coffee Cantata as an 'open ended' blog. Coffee enthusiasts will be able to tap into my sources and resources, and hopefully add their own. This is the start of a world Coffee Cantata movement.

For the month of March 2012 this writer's outright favourite coffee was enjoyed at Latticini, cnr Darling Street and Hancock Lane, Rozelle. (see Coffee Cantata - Enmore, Glebe,Rozelle)

Weekly Update: Friday 16 March - not a cup of coffee this week that teased my palate enough to give an enthusiastic report on. I've been 'doing' the rounds of the recently opened, seriously on-trend cafes. The food has been excellent, but the coffee has a way to go. Rather than name and shame, I'll wait until they have had time to settle in before passing judgement.

For the month of February 2012 this writer's outright favourite coffee was enjoyed  at Ampersand Cafe Bookstore, 78 Oxford Street (Darlinghurst end) Sydney.

                                              Jones the Grocer

Always reliable, Jones the Grocer, 68 Moncur Street, Woollahra sits just around the corner from Queen Street. Although there is no pavement seating the indoor area is of Warehouse proportions giving it a spacious, relaxed feel. The cup size is undergenerous but the coffee is good.
Score: 4 Bouquets

Sugar Cafe, 2b Nelson Street, Bondi Junction

Tucked just around the corner from Oxford Street, adjacent to Bondi Bikes this little side walk cafe doesn't ooze the wow factor but it doesn't have "attitude" either - the staff are very welcoming. It's not somewhere that you would diary as having to visit, but it's perfect if you're looking for a cup of coffee after you've cycled  around and around nearby Centenial Park and called into the bike shop to pick up yet more accessories. Coffee is well priced. Score: 3 bouquets


SAVTA , Waverley Street, Bondi Junction. An oasis in the midst of a concrete jungle.

Savta sits in a sylvan setting diagonally across from the back entrance of Myer, Bondi Junction. Pavement tables beckon passers by and the cafe doors are wide open to the courtyard, giving the appearance from the inside of being on the outside. It's an ideal place for an inexpensive lunch ($10 -$15) and perfect for a casual coffee. I pay $3.50 for an excellent tasting generous sized cup of Soy Cap. A long black is $3. As the name implies, the menu has a predominately Israeli theme. Mine host is most agreeable, easy on the eye, and very customer orientated, hence the noticeable repeat business. Try Savta's Beef Burger ($10) stuffed full with beef, spinach, tomato, chutney, melted cheese, caramelised onion and mayonnaise..you won't leave feeling hungry. Score: 4 Bouquets

Diagonally across from Savta also in Waverley Street is Central Baking Depot. Not great for coffee as the cups are too small and the coffee pretty standard but a great place to buy a loaf of Sourdough or Soy and Linseed bread. They also sell the most irresistible pastries. I inevitably end up taking one home for later! Score: 3 Bouquets

Coffee Cantata hits Woollahra (my local neighbourhood)

At 107 Queen Street, Zigolinis (Italian), is a Woollahra institution and a perennial favourite of mine. They always have a divine floral display centre stage to compliment the indoor outdoor experience. If you're in the area pop in and enjoy an always consistent coffee, and a decadent slice of calorie laden cake .Score: 4 Bouquets

Cafe Creme, 101 Queen Street, Woollahra

With a florist shop for a backdrop Cafe Creme occupies an elevated vantage point right in the heart of  Queen Street. So perfect for people gazing and celebrity spotting. At $4.30 for a Soy Cap on weekends it needs to be good, and it is. Shaded outside seating makes it easy to linger longer, and if you're peckisk the menu is very palate pleasing. Judged on my bouquets awarded scale  (1-5) this scores 5 Bouquets

Moving south east to Waverley for a relaxing coffee on a Sunday, post lunch, I dropped in on Stock Cafe & Foodstore, 29 Albion Street

 When last I visited here I enjoyed their wholesome and simply presented food. This visit coffee was the only thing on my agenda. As I keep stressing "it's all in the beans". Don't know what happened to these beans, but the resulting coffee (Campo) was bitter and watery.
Score: 1.5 Bouquets (very close to a brick bat)

Coffee Cantata - Sydney, Australia

Introducing my local coffee haunts within 2kms of my home in Paddington.

Red Leaf Cafe - Kiosk, Red Leaf Pool (down the steps from the Woollahra Council Building)

What a way to spend a lazy Sunday, or any other day, if you're able to take time out. This is a no decorating frills, plain and simple kiosk. Who needs style and flair when you can sit under the shade of the big black umbrellas looking out at the harbour, with Double Bay in one direction and Point Piper in the other. And guess what? the coffee is oh so very good. The wickedly decadent chocolate brownies, bulging with crunchy walnuts, are worth dieting for, and the price is right. A word of warning....a parking spot is usually hard to find on New South Head Road - hang in there as the coffee is worth the frustration.

Alimentari, 2 Hopetoun Street, Paddington
This is the locals local tucked in at the bottom of William Street where is turns the corner into Hopetoun Street. Pram and pushchair territory in the mornings and a sophisticated coffee stop on weekends. Worth popping in you want to soak up an Italian atmosphere and good coffee, in trendy Paddington. 

The Falconer Bar Cafe Restaurant, 31 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
It's not what you would expect to find at the Hyde Park end of Oxford Street. There's nothing especially glamorous or groovy about this place. It has the look and feel of a 1950's Milk bar style cafe and would be quite at home in a European neighbourhood. I've seen similar in cafes in Venice. It's one of those little locals that comes up with food and coffee that really speaks the language.The mood is welcoming and comfortable, with no pressure on the  'just coffee please' types to drink up and move on.The coffee is for real and the choice of decadent Continental cakes, an exercise in self indulgence. They're open from dawn till dark so feel free to stay on for lunch and return for dinner to enjoy the Italian themed menu. Mains come in under $27.

The Goods, 253 Crown Street, Darlinghurst
Just off Oxford Street, down from Taylor Square there's a gem of a cafe.  Everything about it hits the right note. The food is brilliant, especially the organic salads, the mood relaxed, the coffee spot on, and the choice of  little something sweet to accompany your coffee is irresistible. Think  ginger, date and walnut biscuit, with a generous layer of lemony icing.

Further up Oxford Street, not far away from the weekend Paddington Market site you'll come across Paddington Blend at 339 Oxford Street. The pavement tables here are occupied from early morning with hobby cyclists rewarding themselves with an after ride breakfast. Mid morning brings Mum's in need of a break from the house, and well heeled suburban women planning the rest of their day. Then there's the lunch crowd and the afternoon shoppers looking to inspect their purchases over a coffee. This is the most expensive coffee on my local run but the amiable Barista does a superb job. He gets an eight out of ten from me.

Coffee Cantata - the Darlinghurst Road strip.  Spoilt for choice here I keep going back to an oldie, but still a goodie, Bar Coluzzi. The coffee is consistent and there's always an eclectic mix of pavement dwellers throughout the day propped up on tiny stools, unpretentiously sipping their lattes,

Coffee Cantata - Queen Street, Woollahra. There are six plus cafes in this small area serving coffee 'to go' or 'to have here' ?.

Based on the taste test, considering price, and cup size (which varies greatly),  Kuk Thai                 is my winner. Their mainstay is Thai food, and fab mixed fruit and vegetable juices.  It's well worth dropping in for a shot of caffeine., you won't be disappointed

and at Bondi Junction - a small hole-in -the-wall sandwich bar, Monty's Sandwich Shop,  Spring Street, puts an emphasis on  drop dead gorgeous sandwiches, to eat there, take out, or make a call from your office to have them delivered. So what's good about the coffee, have here or takeaway? Simple - the in-residence, Barista! who pulls a 'mean' coffee, and all for $3 a cup.

Encasa Deli, 135 Bathurst Street, Sydney

Is this a deli, a cafe or a deli/cafe? Whatever, it's a real hit. The ham is to die for and the coffee, my main objective, is a real and generous winner.

Indigo Transvaal Ave, Double Bay

This is the perfect place for a Sunday morning coffee. Either outside beneath the awnings on a sunny day or inside when a Sydney summer isn't behaving. At $4.00 it's a good cup.

A walk to the library

I live in the road that divides Woollahra from Paddington, at an equal distance from the Paddington Library in one direction and Bondi Junction in the other. Today I took a casual stroll to the Paddington Library. It's a pretty walk taking in some very interesting local landmarks.  The Paddington Resevoir, established in 1889 as a water resevoir; the Australian Centre of Photography; William Street, a fashion street sporting top Australian designers; Lucio's, a famous Italian Restaurant (make sure you enjoy the visible art on the walls) ; and streets full of Paddington's pretty, yet not all together practical, terrace houses.
This is a visual, rather than a written coverage of my neighbourhood.

Paddington Resevoir

Josef Schulz, HIJACKED 2, Australian Centre for Photography (ACP)

William Street, Paddington ( Collette Dinnigan and Ginger & Smart)

Pavement tables at Lucios, Paddington (Elizabeth Street)

A pretty Paddington Terrace House